Police and the family courts have given their official reaction after a father filmed officers removing his screaming children under the order of the family courts.

More than 3.1 million Facebook users have watched the disturbing footage taken at a Cornwall property.

Facebook has screened the footage and added a filter which says: "This video may show violence against a child or teenager." However it is still available to watch and it is being shared and widely commented on.

The father films throughout the distressing incident. The children in the video cannot be identified for legal reasons, therefore we are unable to show the footage.

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But both Devon and Cornwall Police and Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) have said they aimed to reduce stress to the children.

Cafcass, which is set up to promote the welfare of children and families involved in the family court, said: “This unfortunate situation could have been avoided if the steps we had suggested for a smooth and calm transition had been followed.

"We all have a role and duty to de-escalate situations to minimise distress to children”.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: “The safety and the welfare of our communities is always our priority. During operational policing we are sometimes required to carry out the order of the family courts.

"Our officers always act as sensitively as they can in extremely challenging, dynamic and difficult circumstances.

"Our primary concern will always be the most vulnerable.”

What is Cafcass?

Who are Cafcass?

Cafcass stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

It puts children’s needs, wishes and feelings first, making sure that children’s voices are heard at the heart of the family court setting, and that decisions are made in their best interests.

Operating within the law set by Parliament (Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000) and under the rules and directions of the family courts, it is independent of the courts, social services, education and health authorities and all similar agencies.

Its duty is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children going through the family justice system.

Family courts: What the law says

Most seriously, the Family Court will deal with cases where the government (local councils, in practice) intervenes in a family to protect children from harm.

That can lead to the children being taken into care and eventually adopted or placed with extended family.

Family lawyers sometimes refer to this as “public” family law, because it has to do with disputes between individuals and the state.

But the Family Court also deals with family disputes between individuals.

Divorce is a classic example. Working out where children live after their parents split up, and other disputes having to do with children, is referred to as “private” family law (because it’s a dispute between two private individuals).

There were 45,000 private family law cases concluded in 2015, involving 164,000 children.